Guardian Gum
by Scarlet-Songstress
Summary: When the Vongola family decided to invest in the confectionary industry, they never realised that the consequences would involve the tenth heir discovering his true sexuality! A series of connected one shots. Mutiple pairings.
1. Watermelon and Orange

_A/N Wow. This is my first story in a while! Haha!_

_Well you experienced fan fiction readers know the drill, read, review if you want, and most importantly I do not own the story! So don't sue, I can't afford it, hehe!_

_Enjoy!_

**Guardian Gum**

It took Tsuna one minute and exactly three point seven seconds to realize how royally screwed he was. Against a wall, tonfa in his infamous cloud guardian's hand, seeing his life flash before his eyes, he could only remember what had happened that caused all of this chaos.

* * *

_Flash Back_

* * *

It wasn't as if he had a death wish, it was more or less the fact that he was just extremely unlucky.

True, he was a tenth generation mafia, he hung out with mafia related people and he had literally fought fire with fire in every colour, shade and freaking attribute out there.

His best friends and most of his precious people had tried to kill him at one point or another…except Yamamoto, but he's a completely different ball game.

Some still did if he crossed a line. Hibari kept giving him weird looks and he knew in his gut he had done something to upset him. Over the recent weeks since the Millefore "Incident" the cloud guardian had been paying more attention to him than ever.

Even members of his own Family whom he cared about (but were still terrified of) had threatened other members of his precious people almost killing them.

But of all those things…he didn't think a stick of gum would be the end of him.

In front of his _whole class_ no less.

It had been Gokudera's fault really; he had found another way to piss off the teacher by chewing gum very, very loudly and obnoxiously throughout the lesson. The teacher of course tried to stop him, since gum was not allowed on school property. But he was answered with the following statement.

"Che, I don't follow any order's but Jyuudaime's!" Gokudera had declared proudly, causing to Tsuna to groan in embarrassment and girl's to start whispering and swooning at the Italian's bad boy attitude.

Yamamoto who was sitting to Tsuna's left laughed heartily at how "lively" Gokudera was being, causing said boss to thump his head onto his desk and wish he had never left his bed.

Tsuna didn't confront the silvered haired teen until the end of the lesson.

"Ne, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said meekly, grabbing the attention of the dynamite user in an instant, "Surely it wouldn't be so bad to stop chewing the gum in class, would it?" _'And stop getting the teacher angry too,' he _silently wished.

"Jyuudaime! I would follow your orders in a heart beat," the proud right hand man declared proudly. "But Reborn-san said to test them for the good of the Vongola!"

"Reborn?" Tsuna asked, immediately wary.

"Here," he said, gladly handing over a green and orange package to his beloved boss, who eyed it with immediate distrust, before taking it.

"Arcobaleno Gum," Tsuna read, sweat dropping at the cartoon Reborn on the packaging. "Chew the special flavours with… your… dying will?"

"Open the packet, Tsuna!" Yamamoto said, leaning on a table behind him. "It looks cool!"

Warily he opened the packet, flinching back just in case of a micro bomb or whatever Reborn may have planted went off. However, all he saw was an even number of wrapped pieces of gum in all the colours of the dying will flames. They even had symbols for the attributes printed in a slightly darker shade on the wrapper.

Though he _did_ notice that the blue and the orange ones were nearly all gone. A red one soon followed them as Yamamoto snatched it quickly and unwrapping and putting it in his mouth faster than Tsuna though possible.

"Oooh!" Yamamoto chuckled lightly tasting the juiciness of the red piece of gum "Strawberry, my favourite!" Several delighted fan girls wrote this information down as soon as the words left his lips.

"Baseball idiot," Gokudera growled angrily. "It was supposed to be for Jyuudaime!"

"There are still plenty of red ones left if Tsuna wants one," the rain guardian smiled, looking at Tsuna with humour in his eyes.

"Go on, Jyuudaime!" the storm guardian said excitedly. "Red is Strawberry, Blue is Blueberry, Yellow is Lemon, Green is Mint, Purple is Watermelon, Dark Blue is Grape and Orange is well Orange. "

Crumbling under peer pressure and the puppy dog gaze of his self-proclaimed right hand man, Tsuna reached out, his hand hovering between all the colours. Slowly, but surely, he picked out a purple one, unwrapping it carefully and popping it his mouth.

A sigh of relief went through him when the effects of poison cooking he guessed were in it failed to appear and relished in the sweet but tangy flavour that reminded him of summer.

…And then he had started to choke.

* * *

_End Flash Back_

* * *

After dislodging the "_cursed-piece-of gum-that-was-blown-to-smithereens-as-soon-as-it-had-left-Jyuudaime's-windpipe,_" the trip to the nurse's office was quick. It was really quick trip if you count Yamamoto's speed and Gokudera's passionate "fretting," AKA the exploding of anyone who got in the way of his precious boss and medical care.

Tsuna soon found himself in the bed, tucked in (Gokudera made sure), and left alone ("he needs to rest," Yamamoto smiled,) with the promise his friends would be with him as soon as lunch started.

It was an hour before then and Tsuna, feeling incredibly embarrassed and once again humiliated, stared at the ceiling wallowing in self-pity.

He heard the footsteps before he heard the door slid open and felt the room drop several degrees. Hyper intuition kicking into gear he lifted his head toward the door and what he saw made his heart panic.

There was Hibari, in all his prefect glory, looking more furious than when Mukuro was around, and _that_ was saying something!

"Herbivore," the prefect growled out leaning against the doorframe. "Why do you always insist on trying to get killed on my school grounds?" His question was met with silence.

If Tsuna wasn't so scared, he could have sworn he had heard the worry if anything concern in the prefect voice. But he was, so he didn't hear it.

"Eeeek!" he shrieked, jumping out of the bed and trying to get as far away from his cloud guardian as possible. Hibari growled again, lower this time, stepping in to the room with measured strides.

"Explain yourself," he demanded, approaching Tsuna at an incredibly fast pace. Soon Tsuna was stuck between the wall and Hibari's threatening body. "Why are you, once again, in the infirmary?"

"It was an accident Hibari-san!" he pleaded, "It-The-Gokudera's- Reborn's-The gum got stuck in my—" The sudden appearance of the tonfa in Hibari's hand's caused the sentence to die in his mouth.

"Gum is not allowed on school property, Sawada Tsunayoshi," the cloud guardian stated as if lecturing a child. He stared hard at Tsuna, which made the 'herbivore' in question lick his lips nervously.

Hibari's eye's widened, and his whole body froze. His stare wasn't like it was before, now it looked him up and down. Appraising him, making Tsuna shudder.

It was as if he was sizing up a piece of meat.

'_He's going to kill me_!' the voice in Tsuna's head screamed when Hibari's eyes finally landed on his own. His heart fell at the prefect's next words.

"You will have to be punished."

"W-Wait! H-Hibari-san!" Tsuna cried, backing fully into the wall of the room. He jumped nervously as the look in the prefect's eyes changed and a smirk grew on his face.

"You will be bitten," Hibari concluded, pinning Tsuna against the wall. Tsuna cried out shutting his eyes tightly, waiting for the painful strike that was to hit him.

Then Hibari was kissing him.

Tsuna's eyes flew open and rolled back into his skull at the sheer sensation in the same spilt second. It was rough, fast and felt more like he had been bruised in the best way possible, his cloud guardian lifting his head only to look at Tsuna with his dark eyes.

Something in him was changing and responding to the heat.

"Prepare to be eaten, herbivore," he said in a voice that Tsuna was sure was illegal.

In his daze, seeing stars and Hibirds circling around his head, he saw the prefect's smirk and then the barest hint of a smile before his cloud guardian leant down, arm at his waist and proceeded to devour him in every sense of the word.

In his hazy thoughts Tsuna could only think one thing.

Hibari tasted like watermelon.

* * *

Reborn chuckled evilly from his viewing platform on the roof, popping an orange piece and a purple piece of Arcobaleno Gum in his mouth.

"Who knew orange and watermelon were so good together?" he muttered, proceeding to take photos for blackmail.

* * *

_A/N I'm actually quite proud of this one! Hope you enjoyed it. _

_Before you ask why purple was watermelon rather than grape, it's because one, it does actually taste better with oranges, and two, Mukuro seemed like more of a grape/wine kind of guy._

_Please Review! I'd love to hear your comments guys._


	2. Berry Full Part 1

_A/N_

_Due to the popularity of the first instalment of Guardian Gum, (I mean seriously it was even referenced in another person's fanfiction!) I have decided to make a few sequels. This is the 8059 one._

_**If you haven't read the first Guardian Gum, please do so**__. There are several references to it throughout any sequel I post and I would hate for anyone to not get them._

_This will be a two shot._

_I do not own Katekyou Hitman Reborn, Uke-Tsuna's god Akira does._

_ENJOY THE STORY_

_

* * *

_**Guardian Gum: Berry Full**

* * *

Yamamoto was in a bit of a pickle. Ok maybe, pickle wasn't the right word.

Yamamoto was in a bit of a strawberry.

Well in a bit of a lot of strawberries actually. Ever since his fangirls had found out about his love of the flavour, he had been swamped with everything strawberry sweet they could get their crazy little hands on. It seemed like every time he turned around, another box of strawberry goodness popped up.

Yamamoto, being the nice guy he was, accepted the gifts that didn't come with a confession. Those that did, he politely declined, saying he was to focused on baseball for a relationship.

One girl had said angrily he had "_had time for the game he was playing with that __**stupid**__ Tsuna and __**crazy**__ Gokudera_." She was the only girl he had said an outright no to and even shouted at. Something he would normally never have done.

Because the game he was playing with his friends was a dangerous one. Even he could recognise that.

She had run from him vowing her revenge in an almost stereotypical shojo drama way, too. He wasn't overly worried though, with the surprising things he'd seen over the course of his bond with Tsuna, he had nothing to fear…except, perhaps, more surprise strawberry flavoured sweet attacks.

Speaking of which.

"Gokudera, want one?" he asked, a box of dessert strawberry pocky waving to and fro in his hand.

The three of them were sitting on the rooftop for lunch again. Ryohei had boxing practice saying he EXTREMLY need to train, and the girls had decided they needed a 'girls-only' lunch session in the classroom so it was just the three of them. Very few people ate on the roof because it was Hibari Kyouya's napping spot. But they didn't know he never came during lunchtimes.

Besides, the roof was special to Yamamoto for many reasons, including his friendship with Tsuna.

The bomber he had been addressing scoffed, glaring at the box like it was his sister's poison cooking.

"That pitiful excuse for candy?" Gokudera got out a familiar green and orange packet and waved it in the air. It was the gum Tsuna had choked on the week before. "Arcobaleno Gum is superior." Yamamoto tried not the let the painful hurt flash through him.

"What about you, Tsuna?"

"No, thank you Yamamoto-kun," the fluffy brunet smiled, wrapping the orange scarf he wearing back over his shoulder. Yamamoto thought it was strange he was wearing it, because it wasn't that cold that day.

"You sure? It's the dessert style," he encouraged, leaning closer to the sky flame wielder. Gokudera's angry voice barked at him.

"Baseball Freak, if Boss says no, it means no!"

"Calm down Gokudera-kun," Tsuna chided gently, silencing his right hand man immediately, "Besides, I…I like watermelon flavoured things better." After saying this, a blush tinted his cheeks, and he smiled as if he knew something wonderful no one else did.

In the process the scarf fell down on the side Yamamoto was on and his attention was immediately drawn to a mark on Tsuna's neck. It looked like a…a…_hickey?_

"Ne, Tsuna?" he spoke, getting the spike haired boys attention. "You have a mark on your ne—"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

The group froze at the voice.

It was hard not to mistake the voice of the tenth generation's cloud guardian and Head of the Disciplinary Committee, Hibari Kyouya.

So much for him never coming to the roof during lunch times.

"H-Hibari san," Tsuna stuttered quietly, the name leaving his lips like a prayer rather than his normal terrified howl. Yamamoto blinked in suprise.

"Bastard," the bomber growled, reaching into his shirt for a stick of dynamite. Tsuna quickly stopped him and turned back to face the disciplinary head. Said prefect lifted one of his tonfa and poked at Tsuna's scarf.

"Why are you wearing that?" he said with a smirk. Tsuna blushed brightly, making the cloud guardian smirk even harder.

"Eh, um," Tsuna stuttered. "I felt a little chilly so I—"

"All accessories permitted by the school authority should be in a navy blue, white, cream or black," he quoted. "That is _orange_."

"Ah," Tsuna stuttered in realization, "I'm sorry Hibari-san."

"You will report immediately to the Disciplinary Committee Lounge," he said a tone of authority in his voice. He then smirked again. "I will give you a _lesson_ on how to wear your uniform properly." The stress on 'lesson' gave different responses, Tsuna shuddered in a way that made Yamamoto realise why he was wearing the scarf in the first place, and Gokudera shouted loudly.

"Bastard! Jyuudaime is going no where with you." Tsuna placed a hand on Gokudera's arm, grabbing his attention.

"It's ok," he smiled gently, "I'll be fine."

"But Jyuudaime!"

"Gokudera, please?" he asked, making his famous Uke-Tsuna puppy dog eyes. "Take notes for me in class if I'm not there in time, please, your one of the few people I trust to do it." Gokudera flushed with pride.

"Anything for Jyuudaime!" he saluted.

"See you later, guys." He waved and followed a quick cloud guardian out the door. Yamamoto turned to Gokudera.

"Looks like it's just you and me, eh Gokudera," he grinned. The storm guardian became ridged, glancing at Yamamoto with a small blush dusted on his cheeks and then walked toward the door too, making his escape.

"I have to prepare so I can take flawless notes for Jyuudaime! Later, Baseball freak." Yamamoto's smile fell.

"Oh, ok then," he said softly, disappointed.

Truthfully, there was another reason why he never accepted those confessions. But as Yamamoto swayed and fell to the rooftop floor unconscious, for reasons even unknown to him, he could only wonder if he could ever say it out loud.

* * *

_To be continued…  
_

* * *

_A/N First half completed! Wow! This will probably end up larger than the first Guardian Gum!_

_Stays in Tune for part two!_


	3. Berry Full Part 2

_A/N Part TWO! Yeah I know it was a quick up date. But it's only a two shot! The main reason it's even like this is because it felt like it would be too long as a one shot._

_For disclaimer please see other chapter._

_Enjoy._

_

* * *

_

Tsuna's teacher was getting prepared to wet his pants.

"If Sawada Tsunayoshi is disruptive," Hibari smirked in the doorframe, giving Tsuna a gentle push inside, "you send him straight to me. Is that understood? But not for something petty, I would hate to think the teachers lacked _discipline_."

"A-ah of course Hibari-san!" the teacher yelped while the students in the classroom began murmuring loudly as Tsuna went to his seat. The beloved boss casting a glance at his clouding guardian who was eying him un-shamefully with the same hunger he had before.

Gokudera gave a worried frown at the dishevelled appearance of his beloved boss. Tsuna's uniform was creased in strange places, one of the top buttons was missing, he was blushing bright red and there were bruises starting to form on his wrists.

His poor boss must have been in a rough fight with the Bastard, he concluded.

However Tsuna was worried for a completely different reason.

"Gokudera-kun," Tsuna whispered quietly glancing at the seat to his left. "Where is Yamamoto?" The frown on the storm guardian's face darkened.

"Baseball Freak never came to class," he said, a tone of worry only Tsuna's hyper intuition could pick up, coming to light. "I thought he was just skipping."

"Yamamoto has been captured by one of his vengeful fan girls," the squeaky voice of Tsuna's home tutor spoke up.

By now Tsuna was used to it, but he didn't expect his tutor to look like a box of strawberry pocky when he turned around. _'Why does he always do this…?_' he thought.

"Harumiya Minako," Reborn said seriously, taking out a picture of a plain looking girl with short hair and dark eyes. "She drugged a box of strawberry dessert pocky from another fangirl, making him collapse at the end of lunch just after Hayato had left." The bomber winced, angry with himself, and determined to make things right.

"Idiot," he said in a way that made others unsure of whether it was to himself or to Yamamoto. Slamming his hand on his desk and getting up out of his chair, he started to walk toward the door as quickly as possible.

"Gokudera-san, return to your seat!" the teacher demanded. The look on the storm guardian's face made any other protest die deep within his throat.

"Don't get in my way," he growled and stormed out of the door. Tsuna remained seated, glancing toward Reborn suspiciously.

"Ne, Reborn, is Yamamoto really in trouble? My Hyper Intuition felt nothing." Reborn smiled at the progress his student had made.

"Yamamoto is safe," the hit man grinned. "He could take Harumiya out in less than a minute if he really wanted to."

"I see," Tsuna mumbled, "But why tell us then?" Reborn handed him a purple stick of gum.

"Chew on it, Dame Tsuna," he said with a smirk, "along with your thoughts."

* * *

'_Where am I?'_

He felt sore all over, like he had been dragged down three flights of stairs or something.

Oh wait.

"Hehehehe," an evil voice giggled. Yamamoto lifted his gaze from the floor to the smiling girl that stood in front of him. Her hair was short and put in a 'cute' style and her eyes looked vaguely familiar.

In her hand was a pocketknife.

Blinking in realization of the seriousness of the situation he tried to move. But soon he realised he had been tied up in the dark projector room, the one they used for educational films, with………seriously, _skipping ropes_? This was not his day.

"Ah, Yamamoto-san, remember me?" the girl, Harumiya, that's the name he was looking for, spoke maliciously. "I'm the girl you rejected. The only one you ever shouted at."

"Why are you doing this?" he breathed. Why did his body hurt so much? Was he dragged?

"So you know how pain feels like," she grinned, playing with the knife in her hands, as she got closer to him. She leant down to his level, and grabbed his chin. "You're always smiling! Why aren't you now, Yamamoto?" she made a deep cut on his chin with the knife and he almost flinched. "Because it _hurts_?"

It stung, but it was nothing he hadn't felt before in his previous battles. Battling for his friends had made him strong enough so something like that barely fazed him. Harumiya looked annoyed at his reaction.

"I had my reasons for rejecting your confession," he said warily eyeing the knife in her hand.

"Too bad. For the humiliation you caused me, I will cause you pain," she tapped the blade lightly at her lips as she began to circle him. "I wonder… which one of your friends I will hurt first?" Yamamoto froze in place. Harumiya continued without another glance. "Dame Tsuna would be easy, but Gokudera need's to be taught a lesson too."

Something in Yamamoto snapped.

"No," he growled.

"No?" she asked with a smirk, but her instinct told her that something was off key.

"You will not harm any of them," his tone was deadly and as sharp as the sword he wielded. "You will not harm Gokudera or Tsuna. Because if you do, I will be the one you answer to." For some strange reason the evil cackle she had tried to produce ended up as nervous laughter.

"What can you _possibly_ do all tied up, Yamamoto-san?" she asked with a sneer, but then she saw his eyes, and nothing but fear ran through her being.

There was heat, an inexplicable, unbelievable heat. Breathing, living, angry heat it filled him up and burst through every muscle he had. Pure adrenaline, pure will, reflected by the burning blue flame lifting out of his clothes on a ring all could see.

A dying will.

"_I can kill you,"_ he growled, eyes burning with the same intensity as the flaming ring around his neck. Harumiya dropped the knife in her hand. This was not the Yamamoto she knew this was the Yamamoto with no regrets to speak of.

She was gone faster than he had collapsed.

The light faded after she left. The will left his body and he slumped in his place exhausted, energy running low. He felt so tired.

"Baseball Idiot!" a voice yelled from the door. Yamamoto snapped his head up in time to see the panicked expression on Gokudera's face as he rushed toward him

"Gokudera?" he blinked, unsure whether or not he was hallucinating.

"Stupid, what has she done to you?" the bomber said in a slightly panicked tone. He looked down at Yamamoto's bleeding chin and furrowed his brows, reaching out unconsciously to touch it, "That mark… ten years from now... from something as petty as this?" The sword wielder leaned into the touch, and locked eyes with the storm.

"You were worried about me?" he whispered in a voice that was both relieved and joyful. Gokudera snapped out of his revere.

"NO!" he shouted quickly, but the blush on his face betrayed the truth of the matter. Yamamoto smiled gleefully. "You are Jyuudaime's Rain Guardian! I need to help the ones that protect the boss!"

"How did you find me?" he asked softly, purposely easing the pressure the storm guardian must of felt. The dynamite user's shoulders relaxed.

"A girl was screaming about blue flame down the hallway," Gokudera grinned softly.

"Ah."

"Let's get you untied so we can get back to Jyuudaime," Gokudera concluded, working at the wound skipping rope that had been used to tie the rain guardian up.

Yamamoto, while giving small smiles at the curses the bomber made about how stupid he was, relaxed completely. Gokudera, no matter how wound up he was, always seemed to have this effect on him. He made him feel emotions like a storm and played his feelings like one did to rain.

He inhaled softly, relishing in the other man's scent.

Gokudera smelled like strawberries.

"Ne, Gokudera, your hairs really soft," Yamamoto smiled leaning into the silver locks on the bomber's forehead, "What shampoo do you use?" Gokudera jerked his head up locking eyes with the baseball player's suddenly heated ones.

"D-D-Damnit Baseball freak!" he stuttered, blushing the same shade of red his attribute was famous for. He avoided looking at rain guardian in the eye. "D-Don't say something like that when you're that close to a guy! It's awkward!"

"Maa," Yamamoto said slyly, a cheeky grin on his face when the ropes finally loosened enough to get his arms free. "I don't know Gokudera, being this close to you feels pretty right to me." The bomber yelped.

"W-What's that supposed to mean!"

Suddenly Yamamoto's face was millimetres away from his own. The tips of their noses touching and a flash of heat passed through the rain guardian's eyes. Gokudera shuddered when he felt the baseball player's body heat make his pulse quicken.

"This," he whispered softly.

When Yamamoto's lips hit him like warm summer rains, Gokudera didn't voice a complaint.

Blueberry was his favourite flavour after all.

* * *

From the other side of the door Reborn and Tsuna shared a look. Both discreetly walked away from the noises that had started when the talking had stopped. Reborn offered two pieces of gum, Blueberry and Strawberry flavours to Tsuna, while he chewed on a purple and an orange piece.

"Ne, Reborn?" Tsuna questioned when they had left the school grounds.

"Yes, Tsuna?"

"Is there anything _in_ this gum?"

"Don't you trust me, Dame Tsuna?"

"………………No."

"Good. You're actually learning something."

* * *

_A/N _

_And that's another Guardian Gum done and dusted! I think it's longer than the first one funnily enough. Kufufu, berries always did mix together!_

_Harumiya is based off all the psychotic fangirls that went nuts at the Justin Bieber concert in Australia. Not a big fan of this guy's music, but DAMN, his fangirls are almost as scary as twilight ones._

_I hope you enjoyed it! Review, please! I'd love to hear some feedback._


	4. Orange and Mint Chocolate

_A/N Hi guys. This guardian gum has no romantic pairings, mainly because I never really ship Lambo. Lambo X Tsuna as a friendship/childish relationship makes sense for some reason though. _

_PLEASE READ THE FIRST TWO GUARDIAN GUM STORIES. Some of the things in here don't make sense especially if you haven't read either of them first._

_Katekyou Hitman Reborn is AWESOME. But I don't own it, so please don't sue!_

* * *

**Guardian Gum: Mint and Orange Chocolates**

**

* * *

**

Lambo simply didn't understand why Tsuna kept disappearing.

The attention of the soon to be Vongola don was supposed to be on him! Not anyone else. So how come every time he went to harass and kill—uh, play with him Tsuna was never there. It had felt ages since the two of them had spent any time together, when he wasn't playing with Ipin or scoffing down Maman's delicious food that is.

Tsuna had been very busy and coming late everyday lately. He had told his mother it was just more intense sumo training, especially when he had come back with a bruised lip. Futa had given his statistic that while Maman was number one in delicious homemade cooking she was number three-hundred-and-forty-five out of three-hundred-and-fifty mafia mothers that bought their son's lame excuse. Tsuna then ran upstairs, or limped in some cases, to get to his room and stayed up there until dinner was ready.

So when Tsuna came home that day, late again, Lambo _actually_ stopped eating and rushed to the front door as quickly as his little cow patterned behind could take him. Today would be the day this behaviour would stop!

"Tsuna!" the child yelled jumping into a surprised Vongola heir's arms. Instinctively Tsuna wrapped his hands around the small body to make sure he didn't fall.

"Ah! Lambo-kun!" Tsuna said with a smile. "How are you?" Lambo lifted his head, but paused when he saw marks on Tsuna's neck.

"Tsuna," he shrieked, "How come you look like you've been bitten?" Tsuna turned a deep shade of scarlet.

"Ehhh!" he squealed. Lambo jumped down and started pointing his finger at Tsuna in accusation.

"Ahahahahaha! Tsuna's even redder now!" he shouted with glee. Then put his finger in his mouth in thought. "Ne, Tsuna, how come you've bite marks? Were you nearly eaten by cana-" the small lightning guardian paused trying to say the word correctly. "cana-canabullies?" Tsuna blushed

"In a way, I guess," he said quietly, with a smile of embarrassment.

Lambo breathed in deeply. Okay, it was time to give Tsuna a piece of his mind.

"Ne, Tsuna—"

"Ah just a second Lambo," Tsuna interrupted, reaching into his bag. "Ah here!" he said passing a package down to his small hands.

"Arcobaleno Gum?" the child read aloud. Tsuna gave a shriek of horror.

"Oops wrong one!" the soon to be don took back the gum packet. "When Gokudera and Yamamoto came back from going missing Gokudera gave me a dozen packets to compensate for not being by my side for an hour."There was a small burst if sheepish laughter as the fluffy haired brunet stuck his hand through his bag. "Ne, where did I put it?" he mumbled. "Here!"

Lambo was presented with a navy blue box with gold letters printed on it.

"Choco Oranges?" the lightning guardian mumbled, opening up the box to see several chocolate pieces in the shape of oranges.

"I'm sorry I've been so busy Lambo," the fluffy brunet sighed. "I know I haven't had time for you or Ipin for a while since I've been…held up…at school." He turned red. "You've been well behaved for Maman while I've been away and you've been taking good care of her too. This is a present for you for being such a good person."

Lambo was speechless and all angry words he had had for Tsuna died in his throat. Damn, why was he always so nice!

"Ahahahahaha!" he laughed evilly. "That was a trick so Tsuna would give me candy!" Tsuna just gave a small chuckle and smiled.

"I'm sure it was Lambo," Tsuna replied, his smile said the thunder guardian's act didn't fool anyone. "I have been thoroughly beaten."

Lambo stared up at him with big green eyes a small, but slightly confused smile on his lips. He looked back down at the chocolates and stuffed one in his mouth, tasting the tangy yet strangely likeable flavour.

Perhaps when chocolate was involved, both Tsuna and he were equals.

….nah, that can't be right.

* * *

_10 Years into the future_

Tsuna moaned loudly and proceeded to bang his head against the desk. Today had been rough, first there had been another fight between Mukuro and Hibari… again, Gokudera accidently blowing up his Mercedes…again and now this.

"Lambo!" he said in frustration, causing the fifteen year old thunder guardian winced at his boss' tone, "This is the third time you've destroyed the kitchen in the last month. Do you know how much it costs to get marble counters redone? What do you have to say for yourself?" Lambo was silent, and fidgety for a moment.

"Sorry!" the dark haired man yelped, sticking his arms, which was previously behind his back, and thrust forward a plain green package into the Don's surprised hands.

Hyper intuition kicking in, the all encompassing sky gave a small grateful smile when he had realised what had happened.

"Did you make these, yourself?"Tsuna asked softly. Lambo nodded profusely, eyes closed and hidden behind his shaggy curls. "Is that why the kitchen was destroyed?" He nodded again, but a embarrassed blush dusted his cheeks.

"I'm not very good in the kitchen," he mumbled softly.

Sighing loudly, the Tsuna of ten years thanked the younger male, and like a father (or perhaps a mother) he patted Lambo's curly hair and told him to sit. Opening up the box he found himself staring at seven chocolates with green mint icing on top, messily done but when did that ever count? It was amazing and so very rare a thing when Lambo was not selfish.

Because, while mint flavoured chocolates weren't his favourite, it was something he had grown to enjoy and adore.

He looked up and smiled at the now embarrassed cow shirted man, who was looking up at him with all the adoration of a younger sibling.

"Thank you, Lambo."

* * *

_A/N and there you have another instalment of the Guardian Gum series. Review if you'd like. Flame if you want. But I write my fanfics because I enjoy it, not because I want reviews._

_Have a good day!_


	5. Wine Flavoured Bubblegum

_ A/N Sorry for the long break between chapters, balancing comics and school and fanfiction never works._

_Mukuro isn't my favourite character. Those characters are the ukes, the weird but not overly sexy smart weirdos (Spanner) and the guys with wicked scars (Xanxus and Lancia...particularly Lancia because he gets no love.) But of all the characters he has to be the best at manipulating to be sensual and devious without full on OCing the character which is why he is a Yaoi fan girl's dream! _

_

* * *

_

**Wine Flavoured Bubble Gum**

* * *

Tsuna hated birthdays.

Actually that wasn't true. He adored giving gifts to people, seeing the smiles on their faces, growing older (and taller, he hoped)…and having evidence that he'd survived another year of torture on behalf of his pint sized tutor was a miracle whenever his birthday came around. However there was one aspect that he did not enjoy…at all.

Birthday parties.

He couldn't even begin to name the amounts of times he and birthday parties had gotten together and created a turbulent evening for everyone. Most destructive to date was the surprise party everyone had thrown for him the year before that ended up with a thirty metre wide hole in the local park. Even though Gokudera had sworn that he thought the candles on the cake were not his newfangled high powered dynamite, (they were), the snacks were not poison cooking, (they were), and Reborn had promised not to torture him (he did,) the night had turned into a disaster quite quickly.

However this time, his birthday had gotten tens of thousands times (to the power of Reborn-flavoured-mischief) worse. How could it possibly get worse considering all the deadliness of the previous year? It comes down to one single commodity Italy is famous for celebrating with.

Wine.

Dino, (obliviously idiotic,) bucking horse Dino had brought WINE to an underage birthday party to celebrate his brother becoming just that tiny bit more of a man. Even though it had been stressed by Tsuna that the legal age of consent was different in Japan than it was in Italy, it hadn't mattered. The blonde man had said:

"_You all look so grown up." He laughed half asleep from the plane flight but still eager to party, case of wine in hand. "Like you've been made into a woman!"_

"_Dino! I'm a guy!"_

"_Huh? Oh yeah, of course, little brother."_

This brings us back to why Tsuna hates birthday parties with a passion that could make even Ryohei envy. He couldn't handle his alcohol, how could he when the only time he had ever really drunk anything was a small sip of his father's sake because he thought it was lemonade? (He was five, and still remembered throwing up onto his mother's favourite shoes because it had gone straight to his head.)

Not surprisingly, Gokudera was handling the alcohol like a pro. Years of drinking Italian wine and being relatively badass had turned the storm guardian into a moderately sober drinking machine. Though it was hard to tell, considering the storm guardian had a permanent blush on his cheeks caused by a drunk Yamamoto whispering most likely naughty things in his ears.

Ipin, Fuuta and Lambo had become knocked out after the first sip, how they had gotten to Tsuna's glass, he had no idea, but it hadn't stopped them from spilling it all over his lap, making him reek like a drunk on five am on a Sunday morning.

Dino, Ryohei and Ken (who had showed up with Chikusa and a blushing Chrome for the free food) were in the midst of a very loud and very off key karaoke battle versing Haru, Kyoko and Chrome. For what Ryohei lacked in hitting notes he made up for with his EXTREME loudness and Haru was getting particularly competitive as well. Chrome had used her illusions to transform the three of them into costumes of pop stars, just to make Haru and Kyoko happy. It was certainly working on Ken, who wouldn't stop staring in the purple haired girl's direction.

Reborn was nowhere to be found. Kami help him for the "birthday present" the tutor was most likely to bestow first thing in the morning.

Finally, his Mother, Bianchi and (surprisingly) Chikusa were making him a birthday cake in the kitchen while the party was in full swing. Regarding Chikusa, he supposed at least one person knew how to cook in their group, especially if they had been surviving for so long.

At the sound of loud cheers from Haru, squeezing a squeaking Chrome, and delighted laughter from Kyoko, Tsuna sighed heavily. Mainly because Ryohei was breaking the wall in frustration that the girls had won, while Ken and Dino argued that neither of them was at fault.

His birthdays were truly going to create nothing but chaos.

But the thing is…he hadn't seen anything yet.

* * *

When Tsuna stepped out the front door for a breather, he didn't expect to see his, (dare he say it?) boyfriend, outside leaning against the side of his house. Hibari was a known recluse regarding such…"crowdings" so his presence surprised him.

"Ah! You're here!" he exclaimed happily. Hibari rolled his eyes.

"Isn't it customary for a boyfriend to be at his girlfriend's birthday celebrations?" the prefect responded, Tsuna twitched.

"Hibari…I'm not a girl."

"Hn," Hibari responded, crossing his arms. He looked pointedly at the empty glass in Tsuna's hand when the tenth don moved closer to him. "Who was the fool that brought such substance in an underage celebration?"

"Dino," the brunet giggled, finally finding a comfortable place beside his "boyfriend." The prefect snorted in distaste.

"For breaking such a rule I should bite him to death."

"He's already going to be suffering from a hangover tomorrow." An evil smirk, one Tsuna recognised far too easily.

"Then I shall instruct the authorities to blare their sirens loudly outside his hotel room."

"If he makes it there."

"Hn." A nod. "I suppose." He inhaled sharply. "You reek of alcohol,"

"Not my choice, Hibari," Tsuna replied, rolling his eyes. "Lambo spilled my drink on me, I didn't even touch it."

A hand reached out and encompassed his.

Tsuna blinked. How had Hibari moved so fast? One second they were standing side by side, the next he's been pinned to the wall, warm breath brushing against his lips. (He was starting to get a very strong inkling his cloud guardian was very much into this kind of thing, especially considering his box weapon.)

The prefect leaned forward and nibbled slightly at Tsuna's ear.

"I have told you to call me Kyouya," he growled, his voice dropping into a sexier octave, "Tsu-na-yo-shi." The don-in-training shivered.

"Only when we're alone, that's what I agreed to," he stuttered blushing in a way only his cloud guardian could make him, "Right now, anyone could come out here and see us."

Another grin, (they were becoming frequent) and he leaned in.

"Yes they could," Hibari breathed, cradling the sky's head in his cloud arms, tilting closer with a possessive look in his eyes. "But then they would know that you were _mine_."

Tsuna, visibly gulped, before a smile broke on his face as he leaned forward, just a little more and then—

"Ora what is this?"

His head probably would have snapped with the speed he looked toward the voice coming from the edge of the doorway. Hibari growled low. Only one person had ever had that kind of effect on him.

"M-Mukuro?" Tsuna squeaked. "What are you doing here?" His mist guardian shrugged.

"Chrome is not very good with alcoholic substances. I offered to take her place," he smiled eerily and glanced back into the house. "Also, I believe drunken Ken was trying to make a move on her."

Tsuna looked into his hallway and significantly paled. Oh dear, was that blood?

"Now Tuna fish, what are you doing in the claws of this…pigeon?"

Hibari, who was already fully irritated at the presence of the two toned eyed teen had had enough of patient silence. He drew his tonfa.

"For that insult I will bite you to death owl." The Italian leaned close to the couple and smirked.

"Sorry to say this Kyouya-kun but I prefer my meals flighty not bitey."

Mukuro blocked the oncoming attack faster than Lambo's lightning and dodged as the other tonfa in the prefect's hand swiped across his middle. Another clash of steel on …whatever metal Mukuro's tonfa is made out of and then suddenly, in the midst of a distraction in the form of a basket full of cherry blossoms supposedly landing on Hibari's head, the mist user darted toward Tsuna's direction and all the all of a sudden he…

…Firmly planted a quick kiss on Tsuna's lips.

"M-m-Mukuro!" the don-in-training shrieked, trying to ignore the fact that the mist user had smelt like a particularly grape scented wine. How much had Chrome had to drink?

"Ah, Tsunayoshi such wonderful blush," Mukuro crooned happily, "So happy I could inspire such a thing in you, pet."

"I'm not your pet!"

Hibari's aura grew darker (if possible) and he lunged at the Italian.

"Die," he growled.

Tsuna backed away from their fight. There was no point in trying to stop them, especially when they were like this, so, he went back to lean on his front door.

Then suddenly a blonde mop of hair fell by his feet.

"Dino!" Tsuna squeaked, coming down to the older man's level, "Are you okay?" Dino just laughed.

"Ahahaha, Hayato punched me when I commented on his blush," he said joyfully, slightly slurring his speech as Tsuna helped him up off his place on the ground. "Your guys get very violent, Tsuna!"

Tsuna glanced in the direction of his storm guardian, only to see him be hugged _very _passionately by his rain guardian. He let out a small chuckle and turned back to the man at his feet.

"Sorry, Dino," the brown haired teen smiled, however, when he looked at the man he was supporting a confused look went over his face. The Cavallone was staring at him quite intently. "Dino?"

"My little brother's become so beautiful!" he smiled drunkenly, and, before Tsuna could blink, the blonde Italian kissed him square on the lips. "Here you go, a birthday kiss."

Unfortunately for the blonde Mafioso, both Hibari and Mukuro had witnessed his present as well. Deadly intent washing through their aura like black waves, the pair advanced upon the unsuspecting Bucking Horse.

"For your inappropriate advances, you shall be bitten to death."

"Ora? Trying to lay claim to my prize?" Mukuro cackled in creepy laughter. "Looks like you'll have to die, Cavallone."

Dino probably should have realised that going into the house was futile when both menacing auras followed him immediately.

But he didn't.

The whole street heard his first scream.

* * *

"Hmmm," Reborn noted, scrawling in his Leon-memo pad while chewing a combination of three pieces of gum in his mouth. He shrugged silently, unaffected by his students and more focussed on the flavours in his mouth. "Even though initially watermelon and grape don't work well together, when you through in an orange it tastes like fruit salad." His faithful lizard transformed back, into the tutor's palm.

From his place on the fence outside the house, the echoes of crashes and smashes, dynamite and kufufufus lit up the street. However, the shrill (and feminine sounding) voice of Sawada Tsunayoshi overpowered them all.

"MUKURO PEOPLE DON'T BEND LIKE THAT!"

Another crash, ceramics falling to the floor.

"KYOUYA! PLEASE BECAREFUL OF MY MOTHERS DISHES!"

Reborn smirked from his place on the wall. "Though…I suppose not everyone likes fruit salad, eh Leon?"

The lizard simply blinked in agreement.

* * *

_AHAHAHA! Another Guardian Gum completed! _

_Next up is either Ryohei or Xanxus. So either way you'll be getting a decent dose of one of my favourite characters!*drool* Xanxus, so many scars…LOOOVEE ITT!_


	6. Blood and Orange

_A/N _

_First of all I'm sorry for the delay on this chapter. It's been sitting on my computer half-finished for a while now. But I'm kind of in my final year of high school and a strange funny thing called Life decided to barge in and use my brain as it's punching bag._

_Xanxus centric fic for this one. Out of all the Reborn characters he and Lancia are my favourites. I mean they have the coolest scars! Also, he pulls off having something that suspiciously looks like a racoon tail in his hair. So woot. _

_Contains X27, because if Tsuna wasn't with Hibari then he'd be with Xanxus :D_

_I do not own Katekyou Hitman Reborn. Now if I did, would I be writing fanfiction?_

* * *

**Blood and Orange**

Xanxus had a habit of breaking, exploding, smashing, and just generally really, destroying things. Many said it was the result of, in Ryohei's words, his EXTREMELY bad temper, others said it was a release so when he did take his anger out on others it wasn't so intense. But it was something everyone feared, that legendary temper of the leader of the Varia.

So _normally_ nothing would be able to get through to him. He had suffered enough in his life time that a few cuts and bruises would barely even garner a simple reaction from him. Why? Because mafia men were tough and ones with scars were even more so because they had the life lasting mark to prove it. Well…at least that's what the fan girls say.

But right now he was seething in pain in front of the whole of the room; before of one set of guardians, two Arcobaleno, a set of Varia elite and a very frantic and extremely worried Vongola heir in that was currently in the process of panic.

_Badly._

And all because of some blood oranges.

* * *

**An Hour Earlier…**

* * *

Across the countryside of a Sicillian island far from the mainland, two sets of black Royals-Royce with their windows tinted dark and silver engravings of a familiar mafia emblem on their doors, hurtled down an empty freeway. The air was crisp (the only remnant of a fairly cold winter in the light of a beautiful Italian spring day) and it seeped through partially opened windows in either of the cars.

It was in the last of these magnificent vehicles that Sawada Tsunayoshi, dressed in his first horribly expensive Armani suit, was lamenting his isolation from the rest of his friends whom were in the other vehicle far in front.

"Su…ku…za?" he horribly pronounced. Reborn promptly reintroduced the teens face to his black shoes.

"It's_ scuza_, Dame Tsuna!" the pint sized tutor corrected. "Those Italian lessons I gave you have yet to stick I see." Tsuna rubbed his rapidly swelling cheeks.

'_They__ would __probably __stick __better __if __you __didn__'__t __beat __my __head,__'_ Tsuna pouted angrily. Reborn titled his head.

"…Did you think something Tsuna?"

"No, nothing at all!" the young man shivered, _how__ the __hell__ is__ he __able__ to__ do__ that?_

"I'm a hitman."

…Ah.

Truthfully this sudden trip to Italy couldn't all be considered Reborn's fault. The Ninth's ties with his Varia elite had been even more distanced since the Inheritance trials and he had been wanting to make amends for quite some time. This issue, of course, was solved by the suggestion of diplomatic training for the next heir and a meeting was arranged for Tsuna, accompanied by a few guardians, to meet Xanxus in the Sicilian Headquarters of the Varia.

'_I'm putting my faith in you, Tsunayoshi,' the Ninth had said, 'for his sake.' _

Well damn, who knew Mafia dons were so good at emotional blackmail.

Outside the tinted glass windows, the gates of their destination loomed. Sentries in leather coats and bizarre hairstyles stood had allowed the first car to go through as Tsuna and Reborn's rolled into the stone driveway. One could barely see their target beyond the large hedges surrounding the drive through, they seemingly crept over the car, making Tsuna, who had been watching the landscape, feel rather small and fragile.

Their Rolls-Royce stopped behind the other outside the grandeur of the Sicilian Varia Headquarters, which, to Tsuna's surprise, was in fact a castle. The building itself was absolutely massive, and the next-gen mafia don thought it looked rather more like something out of a B grade horror film than a mobster flick. The weather, of course, had also decided to join in the fun. The dark gloomy clouds, thunder and obligatory lighting strikes hovering just on the edge of the island's borders sent a chill down his spine and, absentmindedly, he prayed it wouldn't rain before he left.

Reborn hit him with a Leon fan.

"Do you have _it_ then?" he asked. Tsuna frowned and rubbed his arm.

"Gokudera insisted on bringing it," he stated, then furrowed is brows further in exasperation. "I don't know why you had to wait until we were in a marketplace outside of here to let me know about today though!"

"It was a need to know thing," Reborn shrugged. Tsuna threw his hands in the air.

"And today was something I needed to know!" he complained, but alas, his tutor had escaped criticism by jumping out the half open window. He sighed loudly.

Yamamoto opened the door as Tsuna stepped out of the car, tugging nervously at his tie. Only the rain guardian, Gokudera and Ryohei were by his side for today's meeting and despite Tsuna having complete faith in them, he couldn't help but worry as all of the Varia elite would be in attendance. The other guardians were somewhat indisposed; Mukuro was off with his gang cavorting across Japan's festivals on Chrome's request, Lambo was with Maman sick, and Hibari was…was not one to ride on crowded airplanes, even when riding first class.

"Don't sweat it, Tsuna" Yamamoto grinned goofily as he ruffled the smaller teen's head, "I'm sure Xanxus will be fine with seeing you again."

An explosive gunshot was heard from within the building.

"But stick close," he said, subconsciously shielding Tsuna from view of the building's windows, "…just in case." He smiled. Tsuna perked up and looked around.

"Where's Gokudera?"

"Oh, he went inside to get the thing you bought prepped," the guardian answered. Suddenly, a flash of yellow blurred into their sight.

"Octopus head is very extreme when it comes to these things!" Ryohei said loudly. He started punching the air, unaffected by the dark looming presence of the building before him, and like the Sun guardian he was, generated his own type of light against the gloom. "Said something like,_ '__only __the__ best __for__ Jyuudaime_.' "

"Oh, I see," Tsuna replied nodding…that is…until a pebble was thrown at his head. He yelped turning to see Reborn standing in the dark doorway of the castle.

"Don't dawdle Tsuna" he said threateningly, "You know Xanxus doesn't like to be kept waiting."

A few minutes later the four of them were walking down the depressing ominous corridors. With their medieval weapons, half burnt paintings and broken windows, the B-grade horror film theory was bumped up higher, at the sight of blood spatter on the walls and the carpets, and the torn wallpaper and cracked walls, the theory became a box office hit. Shuddering at the atmosphere of the place, when Tsuna spotted Gokudera, red shirt, chains, and covered silver platter standing in front of a pair of white double doors he could only breathe a sigh of relief.

"Jyuudaime!" he said brightly, emitting enough worship sparkles to brighten up the dark corridor. "Take a look!" He lifted the tray lid and a sweet quite prettily prepared aroma met the young man's approval.

"It looks perfect!" Tsuna grinned.

"Only the best for Jyuudaime!"

Lussuria opened up the doors.

"Feel free to come in, hunny bunches! No need to keep making so much noise in the corridors," he said with a flourish and stepped away from the opening of the door, "You're right on time!" He sent a flirtatious giggle to Ryohei (who in turn was oblivious) and led them into the dining room, where all of the Varia elite, sans Gola Mosca, sat waiting…

…Like predators for prey.

At the head of the table, Xanxus lounged in his chair like a possessive dark king. His hair had grown out a little, slightly shaggy now and feathers had joined the racoon tail. A single glass of red wine was to the left of him and both guns, two still smoking fresh, were on the arm rests. Tsuna instinctually sank into himself on sight of him, the glare from the older teen like the sneer one uses to regard a cockroach will all intention of squashing.

He didn't even bother to offer any of them a seat.

"Let's get this fucking thing over and done with," Xanxus drawled snidely. "The old man sent you right? What the fuck does he want?"

Tsuna remained silent. It was not that he wouldn't speak …it was more like he couldn't speak. Fear shut his mouth up quite promptly and Xanxus's angry fiery red eyes sparking anger and doing funny things to his tummy were not helping.

"VOI! SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!" Squalo demanded, causing the quivering heir to flinch.

"Well you see…" he began.

What happened next was totally avoidable.

If Lussuria's feather boa hadn't been trailing on the floor behind his place at the table, Ryohei, absentmindedly practicing his uppercuts, would not have tripped, slamming into Yamamoto who, in order to dodge, changed his stance, tripping up Gokudera sending the silver tray, filled to the brim with beautifully and lovingly prepared chilled blood orange slices and freshly squeezed blood orange juice onto Xanxus and ONLY Xanxus, the juice seeping into the freshly opened cuts made earlier in his fights with Squalo that morning over this entire meeting in the first place.

If only...

* * *

**Which leads us back to the present…**

* * *

The seething Varia Leader raised a shaking hand and wiped the orange juice from his face.

It was a horrible mess, his shirt, hair, jacket and skin was dripping with the sticky liquid. The shirt itself now a orange red colour dripped onto the floor. The small cuts on his face and hands stung from the citrus acid seeping into his skin. His entire body felt as if he would explode from anger and Squalo springing across his vision and blaring loudly in his face didn't help all that much either.

"VOI! BOSS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" he shouted, before, not even a split second later, Xaxnus back fisted him out the window.

Then the anarchy started…

"Boss!" Levi cried in disbelief. He turned toward Gokudera who was still on the floor from when he tripped early. "This is your fault! You'll pay for this!" He unleashed his umbrella and swung, only to be blocked by Yamamoto's katana while Gokudera scrambled to get back onto his feet.

"I'm out of here," Mammon said, promptly disappearing out the broken window passed Tsuna who was rushing toward Xaxnus in an effort to help.

"Get back Jyuudaime!" Gokudera cried, dodging a blow from Levi as he tried to reach his beloved tenth. Levi was sparking anger with all the exuberant force of a zealous religious worshiper defending their god.

"HURRY UP AND DIE!" he screamed. Yamamoto blocked another umbrella swing and Gokudera through micro bombs at the Levi's feet. He dodged, the explosion rocking the floor and scorching the red carpet below them.

"THIS IS EXTREMELY AWESOME!" Ryohei hollered over the chaos. Lussria who had been hiding behind him sweat dropped in disbelief. Xaxnus raised his guns and fired in their direction, creating another hole that led outside as they ducked for cover. He turned then toward the table at the blood oranges that had caused him the embarrassment.

"Die," he growled, glaring at the pieces of fruit and moving to pull the trigger…

…When suddenly, something small grabbed a hold of his wrist.

"Don't!" Tsuna (the small thing) shouted, gripping onto the appendage and preventing him from firing. "It's my fault! Don't shoot anything else!" Xanxus turned on him.

"TRASH!" he hollered. Tsuna winced but refused to let go.

"They were supposed to be a gift!" the young don cried.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I know…I know how much you love to eat meat!"

The entire room that looked on proceeded to go still and silent in confusion.

'…_Meat?' _

"I mean," Tsuna began nervously, "You like to eat all these really expensive different kinds right? A-And I learned recently that Vitamin C helps with protein absorption…so I got these for you." Xanxus eyes narrowed and he lowered the gun down.

"Why?" he growled.

"B-Because…I was worried!" the young don stammered, yet it was with so much conviction that Varia leader almost gaped. "I know oranges aren't going to repair whatever's happened, they're probably not the best gift either especially considering how special today is." The hand that was still encircled around the Varia leaders wrist stroked the other's scarred hands subconsciously.

"Why would you care about something like that?" Even though he had intended it to come out gruffly, it barely reached a whisper.

"Because, even though you can be really scary…I just want you to be happy and healthy on your birthday, Xanxus." He smiled softly, rubbing the back of his neck with the free hand and looking mournfully at the pile of blood oranges scattered along the table. "…Even if it means helping with your protein absorption."

It was Belphagor's cackle that broke the mood.

"Shishishishishi! Birthday Boss," he said slyly, twirling a knife, "you're turning red."

Sure enough, Xanxus's face had dusted pink across his cheeks and the hand in which Tsuna had been subconsciously stroking had gripped the younger man's back without thought. In realisation, Xanxus quickly dropped his hand and tensed his shoulders, anger rising. Tsuna took a nervous step backwards.

"Out," he whispered.

"Shishishishi, What was that Birthday Boss?" the crazed prince grinned. Xanxus looked up, no longer blushing red in embarrassment but in anger, the faded scars showing.

"EVERYBODY OUT!" he hollered, taking his right gun and firing in front of the doors so they blew open. The Varia, sensing that if they didn't leave now they would be deader than the meat Xanxus ate, scrambled toward to them.

"Jyuudaime/Tsuna!" Gokudera and Yamamoto yelled, reaching out to their friend. Tsuna stretched out toward them only to be literally held back. Xanxus lifted him by the back of the collar off the ground like a mama cat with her kitten.

"Not. You." He growled.

"Eh?" he blinked, watching as Reborn herded the rest of the Varia and Guardians out and he was lifted, surprisingly gently, over to the seat by the head chair's right hand side. The doors closed and he looked up into Xanxus' fiery eyes with nervous curiosity.

"Uhhh… Xanxus?" he asked, but the older man went to the edge of the room where a silver bowl of warm soapy water and a towel (_when __did __they __get __there?_) was waiting. Washing off the rest of the orange juice from his face neck and hair, he removed his jacket and tossed it witch accuracy toward the coat rack. He pulled off his shirt, making Tsuna, who had been staring, flush, and switched to a fresh one which also had been laid out for him.

"X-Xanxus?"

"Eat," he commanded flatly, gesturing toward the few slices of the saved oranges on the plate in front of the younger leader.

Not wanting to be rude, or cause the man to anger further, Tsuna bit into the red juicy flesh with trepidation; slowly the vessels in the flesh of the orange burst, slightly tangy sugar liquid running through his mouth and soaking into every tastebud.

"It's sweet!" he remarked, smiling brightly. Xanxus brushed off the small sudden flush of his cheeks cause by the younger boy by looking out the window. The dark clouds were clearing.

"Hn," he grunted gruffly, making his way back to his seat.

Yet, in his mind, he could see a child and a young woman of the past, stroking the young boy's head and passing him slices of blood oranges on a cracked and battered plate. Before a time when an angry hadn't flame emerged and he wasn't feared by all, the sweet juices made him smile as his mother sang congratulations for another year of survival in their dirty and desolate home.

How had the trash known they were just the present he wanted?

Tsuna's smile was like that child's smile, he realized briefly, untainted and untouchable by the sins of his forefathers. A smile like that was something like that was worth protecting.

As if sensing his presence in the scarred man's thoughts, Tsuna titled his head and offered up the plate containing the citrus delicacy.

"Won't you have some?"

"I don't need your permission, trash."

Somewhere outside the door, Reborn smiled.

Three months later, after sudden peace within the familigia of the Vongola, a new item in the Vongola Confectionary Company was released:

Arcabeleno Gum: Varia Edition…

…And it's most popular flavour was Blood Orange.

* * *

_A/N _

_I actually did my research for this! Despite being called Blood Oranges, they are not only the best orange when it comes to vitamin C but they also the sweetest orange in the citrus family. They also have a really juicy red texture hence the name. _

_Sounds like a certain Varia leader we know!_

_Hope you enjoyed it, Ryohei, my extreme comrade is next!_


End file.
